Posts from January 2019

More than half of the UK’s parents don’t have a valid Will; either they don’t have one at all or it’s out of date. 
 
Why is having a valid Will important for parents? 
If your children are under 18 you can name guardians and say what you want to happen to them if you die. If you don’t do this, the family courts might have to decide what happens to them. 
 
If you aren’t married to your children’s other parent, or you have a civil partnership, they won’t be entitled to anything when you die, unless you have included them in your Will. If you have any step-children, they won’t inherit anything either unless they are provided for in your will. 
 
When someone dies the process of releasing their assets is called probate*. This must be completed before beneficiaries can receive their share of the estate. 
 
The exception is when all the property is jointly-owned and money passes to a spouse or civil partner. 
 
If you are dealing with probate for the first time this can all be quite daunting, so here are some things you might want to know. 
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